o of BRITISH COLUMBIA a President’s Message Abhh, the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer...well for many of us. ‘There may be some exceptions, but every potter I know seems busiest during the summer months. Be it preparations for and participation in summer markets or working on weather-sensitive projects or just getting the most out of the fine weather, free time seems limited. I did, however, make time to get to the Satellite Gallery on Seymour Street in downtown Vancouver to take in the exhibition High Fire Culture- Locating Leach/Hamada in West Coast Studio Pottery. Coming from and receiving my ceramic education on the east coast, although somewhat familiar with Leach and Hamada, I only knew about their North American influence in the context of the U.S. It was a real education and treat to find out about the connections of the nine B.C. residents featured in the exhibition to the Leach/Hamada tradition—then to find out the connections, direct and indirect, these individuals have had to the PGBC. This got me thinking in two directions. First, in the kind of lineage we have in our teachers. Jiansheng Li, visiting professor from Jingderzhen, China at NSCAD (1997 1999), once said to me and my classmates, that it is like a kind of inheritence we have in the information we receive from our teachers. Similar to the way we inherit certain characteristics from our parents, our work, our pots, inherit certain characteristics from what we have learnt from our teachers. And those of us who teach pass that onto the next generation. All of those who studied under Leach/Hamada and went on to teach others here in B.C., continue that kind of lineage. If one looks around the Gallery of BC Ceramics you will still see that strong influence in much of the work. I now also have a greater understanding of the prevalence of reduction firing here in B.C. The second direction of thought was membership in groups and what that means. My understanding of the Leach/Hamada philosophy is that it was the coming together to learn and share, which is, of course, the underlying philosophy of a guild model. ‘These potters would come together in groups, whether formally or not, to share ideas, make pots and fire kilns. Out of that came the PGBC and, for much of its 57 years, it has continued to hold dear the fundamentals of sharing and teaching. Although such things as government regulations, costs, time and distance make it difficult, we like to think we still can share ideas and educate. I know I am talking to the converted and the committed since, if you are reading this in July/August, you are currently a member. This is hoping that each of you continues to remain members, renew your membership in September and even convince someone else—maker, collector or enthusiast—to join the guild. I hope everyone has a great rest of the summer and we look forward to hearing from everyone in September for membership renewal. —Denise Jeffrey Gallery & Exhibition News By Laura Carey Staff Changes In the month of June we bid ‘bon voyage’ to our teammate Janine, who will spend the summer in France. We have gained a wonderful new staff member in the meantime. Our new teammate Melissa is a former student of Langara and a current Emily Carr undergrad, studying ceramics. Her enthusiasm for ceramics along with her knowledge of glazes and techniques is an asset to the Gallery. Melissa is here to serve you on Saturday and Sunday each week. July Exhibition: Junichi Tanaka A Moment of Peace July 4 to 29; Opening July 4, 5 to 7 p.m. I was in Japan in February 2013. It was almost two years since I had visited there. I was a little worried about how people in Japan had adapted and recovered from the disaster, shaken there on March 11, 2011, since I had briefly shared the cruel experience with them, including strong emotions such as fear, sorrow, tension and restlessness. However, under the sunny, cold Tokyo sky people looked relaxed and moved much slower than when the earthquake and tsunami struck Japan. I even saw many smiling faces around that made me feel relieved. I felt they deserved to enjoy the peace after two years’ effort and struggles for the recovery from the disaster. At the same time, I sensed that people knew their journey for the recovery was not finished yet. They were enjoying a transient peace for tomorrow. Over the last ten years or so, through various comments from buyers of wholesale shows and from people coming to my booth at retail shows, I start to think vaguely of the meanings of me doing pottery, the role of me in a society as a potter. And these journeys to Japan, totally different impression from the two journeys, make me clear a little for the purpose of me doing pottery. That is “a moment of peace.” Continued on Page 4 Potters Guild of BC Newsletter « July/August 2043